Thanksgiving Fix & Freeze..Cornbread Dressing 101

Alright you guys..this is a must have around our place at Thanksgiving....we are not 'stuffing' type people....I grew up with homemade chicken & dressing...the only thing we stuffed was a onion & celery and an apple in the cavity of the Turkey! lol My grandmothers would spend hours slow cooking a big ol' hen and then letting it cool down enough to take off the bone and adding it and the broth and some seasonings and mixing it with cornbread they had been saving for the dressing.

Yes, for years I did that process..it never turned out as good as theirs....then I learned to cook a chicken in a pressure cooker in 15 -20 minutes! woo-hoo but it was all still so much time.

So I invented plan B....the easiest and tastiest dressing..closest thing to grandma's I could get and still keep the family asking for more! It takes time but it is soooooo easy...first you gotta make your cornbread...it has to sit for a day....don't ask me why people....it's just part of the rules! I do think it absorbs the flavors better if it sits for a day!

Here is what you need for the cornbread....I'll give the recipe below...

You'll mix the wet ingredients in one bowl with a wisk...then add to dry ingredient and whisk all together....Pour it in a 9 inch cake pan that has been sprayed with Pam Or Bakers Joy and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until golden ..

Ohhhh it looks like cake! Now take it out of the pan and put it on a wire rack to cool...when it is cool you will crumble it up and just put it away in a clean dry place until the next day.....ALWAYS MAKE YOUR CORNBREAD A DAY AHEAD OF TIME!

Ok so here it is the next day....you are ready to make dressing...now I like mine without chicken in it...cause we are having turkey, people...but if you like meat in your dressing or if you are making this for the main dish say like at Sunday dinner then just use those frozen boneless chicken tenders and throw some in the broth mixture of the below recipe and they will cook in about 10 minutes (Or just gone on and be a Martha and cook a whole chicken and debone it and throw it in there)

See those few items right up there...with them you can break free from the 'I CAN"T COOK GOOD DRESSING' bondage..trust me people this is doable....you can even serve this to your mother-in-law with a smile!!!!!

Simply put your 4 cans of Campbell's products in a boiler along with the sage & black pepper..saute your celery & onion in butter and add them to this mixture and heat on stove until creamy and hot (you would add those frozen chicken tenders here and cook for about 10 minutes) I always do this because to me the sage just blends better and has a mellow taste to it.

I use a cup of chopped celery & 1 medium chopped onion...I saute them in a big spoon of butter then just add them to the hot mix.

Now let the hot mixture cool down and go ahead and set out 3 eggs to get to room temperature...put the cornbread in your big Martha bowl (ever notice how we have favorite mixing bowls we use all the time) Slightly beat the eggs and mix them to the cornbread...add the liquid mixture and stir it up good.

Then pour it in an aluminum pan that you have sprayed (y'all know this part by now...right)..I like my dressing in a deep dish not shallow...it keeps it moist.

This is one of those 9x11x2 in pan...now cover with aluminum foil and freeze..just set it out the night before you are ready for it and it will be thawed..cook it uncovered in a 350 degree oven until golden brown about 30 -40 minutes.

I know I don't explain things the easiest of anybody...but this is alot simplier than I make it look and you owe it to yourself to try this just once if you & your family love dressing....but if you are one of those that can make Blue ribbon Dressing like my grandmothers than I give you 5 stars & a golf clap my friend...you are my hero!

Cornbread Dressing

Day One---Cornbread

2 cups yellow self rising cornmeal
3 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/4 cup oil
1 12ounce can Pet Milk

Whisk the eggs,milk & oil in one bowl and add it to your meal & sugar that is in another bowl...whisk good and pour in a sprayed 9 in cake pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until just golden and done....cool on wire rack...then crumble in a large pan and keep in a cool dry place until the next day.

Dressing

2 cans Campbells Chicken Broth

1 can Campbells Cream of Mushroom

1 can Campbells Cream of Chicken

1 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup chopped celery

1 medium chopped onion

3 eggs (slightly beaten)

Cornbread

In a large pot mix the Campbells products...the sage and the pepper....saute the celery & the onion in a big spoon of butter and then add that to the pot...heat this all up until hot and creamy (whisk it alittle) let cool..

mix the 3 eggs with the cornbread in a large bowl...add the soup mixture and mix everything together good...pour into your baking dish that has been sprayed with either Pam or Baker's Joy and bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes just until golden.

Hope you get a chance to try this you guys..ok I have Baked beans----Sweet Potatoe Casserole ---Cornbread Dressing in the freezer!! Yahoo I gotta make the Peanut Butter cake and get it in there and next week I gotta cook some dishes for the kids to take to their company dinners...

Who spread that lie that the mom is suppose to cook dishes for their kids functions..I mean I know we have to do that when they are in school but come on people these are 30 year old young uns!!! lol

I figured out how to put my recipes on the side bar...ALL BY MYSELF! You can just click on them and find them easy..hope everyone has a fantastic week!